2-4-6-8! Who do we appreciate?

The student-athletes of YSU have really given the rest of us something to look forward to each week.

Even those of us who aren’t sports fans were happy to tell the world that the Penguins defeated the University of Pittsburgh Panthers twice in their own territory.

And while the upset against the University of Georgia wasn’t quite a David and Goliath win, it was at least as good as Goliath being beaten up by his little brother Jerry.

The men and women who wear our colors have dealt with adversity for years. Despite strenuous efforts to redirect the teams back toward the path to excellence, most of the teams struggled to exceed mediocrity for years.

Hopefully, those days are coming to an end.

Beating Pitt on the gridiron was thrilling, but multilaterally defeating all opponents from major conferences one season is simply unprecedented. Sure, any school can pull off a fluke victory over a mid-major, but only YSU runs the gauntlet and comes out unscathed.

Even more impressive is that these victories have all come on the road. It’s time to show appreciation.

This weekend, the YSU community has three opportunities to support its teams. The basketball teams open their home campaigns on Friday for men and the women on Sunday.

If the volleyball team wins Friday and Saturday, they’ll play in the championship on Sunday.

The last opportunity to watch the football team is on Saturday at 2 p.m. At Pitt, George Washington University and Georgia, our teams have represented YSU well while proving their worth.